Smashing the Barrier

Lessons from Usain Bolt and other running legends.

Watching Usain Bolt run the 100 meter dash at the Olympics was nothing short of electrifying. The ease to which this world record holder from Jamaica breaks away from the rest of the pack in the last half of the race can take one's breath away. The thought of someone running 100 meters in the 9.6 second range is almost impossible to believe.

In fact, even running it in 9.8 seconds was impossible in everyone's mind. That is, until Maurice Greene did so on August 22, 1999. Since that record-breaking run, 25 people have broken that time, culminating in Bolt's 9.58 world record ten years later on August 16, 2009.

This phenomenon brings Roger Banister to mind. Bannister was a 25-year-old English medical student at Oxford University who was also an amateur runner. He dedicated a great deal of time and energy to the pursuit of running a mile in under four minutes. At the time, it was thought to be impossible for a human being to run a mile at that speed. The world record of 4:01.3 had stood for nine years and experts regarded this as an insurmountable human limit. Some physiologists even thought that running the mile in less than four minutes was dangerous to the health of any athlete who attempted it.

Roger Bannister thought otherwise. He had already won the British championship in the event and he applied his scientific training and medical knowledge to smashing the four-minute barrier. Bannister used intense interval training, an innovative method of distance running and a sprint technique to fine-tune his speed.

Sure enough, on May 6, 1954, Bannister ran the race of his life and collapsed to the ground immediately upon crossing the finish line. Bannister explained, "It was only then that real pain overtook me. I felt like an exploded flashlight with no will to live; I just went on existing in the most passive physical state without being unconscious." Two track officials held him up while spectators converged on him. The crowd was silent until they heard the announcer begin to proclaim Bannister’s time. “Three…” The cheers of the crowd drowned out the rest of his time. Despite the 15-mile-per-hour crosswind, Bannister had run the mile in just three minutes and 59.4 seconds.

The four-minute mile barrier had been broken! The world was in shock. The unthinkable, what was considered beyond human ability, had occurred. Bannister’s time was referred to as “the Miracle Mile.”

Now for the truly amazing part of the story: Just 46 days later, on June 21 in Turku, Finland, Bannister's record was broken by his rival John Landry of Australia, with a time of three minutes and 57.9 seconds. Landy had never gotten within 1.5 seconds of the four-minute mark in previous attempts. Then, on August 7, at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, B.C., Bannister won in three minutes and 58.8 seconds, with Landy 0.8 seconds behind him with a time of three minutes and 59.6 seconds.

After breaking the four-minute mile once, both Bannister and Landy seemed able to do so again with ease. But it goes even further. By the end of 1957, just four years later, 16 different people had run the mile in under four minutes including three at the British games in London on May 28, 1955. By 1964, 10 years after Bannister’s great feat, the world record for the mile had dropped to 3:54.1. By 2001, 855 people had run the mile in under four minutes. A psychological barrier was shattered. What once was impossible became standard.

We live with this concept, both positively and negatively, on a regular basis. We may have a friend who pushes the envelope and crosses a certain line in terms of misbehavior and, suddenly, it becomes something which we may feel we can do, as well. This is certainly part of the message behind the Jewish teaching that “Woe onto the evil person and woe onto his neighbor.”(Tractate Negaim 12:6) The “neighbor” sees that his friend did something wrong and this puts ideas into his head regarding what he can do, much like Roger Bannister put the idea in people’s heads that the four-minute mile was possible.

The better analogy applies to positive actions. There is a Talmudic saying that “Jealousy about study leads to increased wisdom.” (Tractate Bava Batra 21a) When one person sees how much the other is able to learn, this arouses jealousy and a determination to accomplish the same or more. Similarly we are taught to open our homes to wise people. (Chapters of our Fathers 1:4) When we are around great people and we see what they can accomplish, we recognize that we can do the same.

So strive to surround yourself with positive role models who have smashed through barriers and demonstrated that you can indeed accomplish way beyond what you can imagine. Then dream the impossible dream and go for it to make it happen!

Visitor Comments: 3

(3)
Anonymous,
August 15, 2012 5:10 PM

Yes, but then...

I enjoyed this article. It obviously carries a double edged sword. The example of Usain Bolt serves well to show both sides. Yes, the obvious G-d given talent perfected: it is hard not to be impressed. But, how many young people will also be copying the language and the gestures? One of the UK newspapers reports Bolt as saying that he is a legend. Being a showboat is not part of the value system that we should emulate. It takes away from the lustre of gold itself.

(2)
Anonymous,
August 13, 2012 8:27 PM

The comment by Reuven Frank was good!

thank you for that idea! That kinna, taivah & kavod (envy, lust & honor) can take us to a higher level "out of this world" is a new idea for me!

(1)
Reuven Frank,
August 12, 2012 2:26 PM

out of the grubby earthly world

This was called a seriously “Chassidische P’shat”
but, the point is we don’t usually use this phrase to mean a positive thing.
It is said that jealousy, lust, and (pursuit of) honor
take a person out of this world.
I heard it said, and in the context of this article:
Jealousy of my friend understanding first,
and lust (unending desire) for Mitzvos, and
honor-ing others ALSO
take a person out of this world.
They take him to the MUCH higher world
of the N’shama (soul).

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I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...